Crossword puzzles are well-known and have been popular for many years. The popularity of such puzzles is based in large part on the interlocking nature of the words. That is, many of the letters for an "across" word are shared in common by one or more "down" words, and vice versa. As a result, each word that is discovered typically results in additional clues for the words yet to be discovered. A talented crossword puzzle enthusiast is therefore able to attack the puzzle by first obtaining easily solved words, which in turn result in enough clues so that words of greater difficulty are obtainable. As the number of words solved increases, the number of clues also increases, allowing the complete puzzle to be solved.
However, not all puzzle enthusiasts are talented enough to be able to easily solve a sufficiently large core portion of the puzzle. Unable to obtain such a foothold on the puzzle, such individuals do not reach the stage in the solution that sufficient additional clues are available. As a result, the puzzle is not solvable, and is therefore not enjoyable.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved crossword puzzle that can be played generally according to the rules of crossword puzzles. The improved crossword puzzle must provide additional clues, so that those individuals who are not able to solve conventional crossword puzzles will be able to solve the puzzle. However, the clues should be sufficiently easy to ignore, so that individuals for whom the solution is more easily determined should be able to work the puzzle without the additional clues, if desired.